'' by
Michelangelo, 1510
Overview In much of modern Christianity, God is addressed as the Father, in part because of his active interest in human affairs on the earth, in the way that a father would take an interest in his children who are dependent on him and as a father, he will respond to humanity, his children, acting in their best interests. Many believe they can communicate with God and come closer to him through
prayer – a key element of achieving communion with God. In general, the title
Father (capitalized) signifies God's role as the life-giver, the
authority, and powerful protector, often viewed as immense,
omnipotent,
omniscient,
omnipresent with infinite power and
charity that goes beyond human understanding. For instance, after completing his monumental work
Summa Theologica, Catholic St.
Thomas Aquinas concluded that he had not yet begun to understand "God the Father". Although the term "Father" implies
masculine characteristics, God is usually defined as having the form of a spirit without any human biological gender, e.g. the
Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 239 specifically states that "
God is neither man nor woman: he is God". Although God is never directly addressed as "Mother", at times motherly attributes may be interpreted in
Old Testament references such as a hymn of praise , or . In the
New Testament, the Christian concept of God the Father may be seen as a continuation of the Jewish concept, but with specific additions and changes, which over time made the Christian concept become even more distinct by the start of the
Middle Ages. According to Mary Rose D'Angelo and James Barr, the Aramaic term
Abba was in the early times of the New Testament neither markedly a
term of endearment, nor a formal word; but the word normally used by sons and daughters, throughout their lives, in the family context.
Old Testament , 1860 According to
Marianne Thompson, in the
Old Testament, God is called "Father" with a unique sense of familiarity. In addition to the sense in which God is "Father" to all men because he created the world (and in that sense "fathered" the world), the same God is also uniquely the law-giver to his
chosen people. He maintains a special,
covenantal father–child relationship with the people, giving them the
Shabbat, stewardship of his
prophecies, and a unique heritage in the things of God, calling Israel 'my son' because he delivered the descendants of Jacob out of slavery in Egypt according to his covenants and oaths to their fathers,
Abraham,
Isaac and
Jacob. In the
Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 63:16 (JP) reads: "For You are our father, for Abraham did not know us, neither did Israel recognize us; You, O [YHWH], are our father; our redeemer of old is your name." To God, according to Judaism, is attributed the fatherly role of protector. He is titled the Father of the poor, of the orphan and the widow, their guarantor of justice. He is also titled the Father of the king, as the teacher and helper over the judge of Israel. According to Alon Goshen-Gottstein, in the Old Testament "Father" is generally a
metaphor; it is not a proper
name for God but rather one of many titles by which Jews speak of and to God. According to Mark Sameth, references to God the Father convulsing in labor, giving birth, and suckling (Deuteronomy 32:13, 18) hint to a priestly belief, noted in the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries by
Guillaume Postel and
Michelangelo Lanci respectively, that “God the Father” is a dual-gendered deity. In Christianity fatherhood is taken in a more literal and substantive sense, and is explicit about the need for the Son as a means of accessing the Father, making for a more
metaphysical rather than metaphorical interpretation.
New Testament , c. 1510–1517 There is a deep sense in which Christians believe that they are made participants in the eternal relationship of Father and Son, through Jesus Christ. Christians call themselves
adopted children of God: In Christianity the concept of God as the Father of Jesus is distinct from the concept of God as the creator and Father of all people, as indicated in the
Apostles' Creed. The profession in the creed begins with expressing belief in the "Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth" and then immediately, but separately, in "Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord", thus expressing both senses of fatherhood within the creed. This did not exclude either the fact the "eternal father of the universe was also the Father of Jesus the Christ" or that he had even "vouchsafed to adopt [the believer] as his son by grace". Around AD 213 in
Adversus Praxeas (
chapter 3)
Tertullian is believed to have provided a formal representation of the concept of the
Trinity, i.e. that God exists as one "substance" but three 'Persons': The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and with God the Father being the Head. Tertullian also discussed how the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The
Nicene Creed, which dates to 325, states that the Son (Jesus Christ) is "born of the Father before all ages", indicating that their
divine Father-Son relationship is seen as not tied to an event within time or human history.
Trinitarian consisting of God the Father along with
God the Son (
Jesus) and
God the Holy Spirit To
Trinitarian Christians (which include
Roman Catholics,
Eastern Orthodox,
Oriental Orthodox,
Anglicans, and most but not all
Protestant denominations), God the Father is not a separate God from
God the Son (of whom Jesus is the
incarnation) and the
Holy Spirit, the other
hypostases of the
Christian Godhead. In
Eastern Orthodox theology, God the Father is the
arche or
principium ("beginning"), the "source" or "origin" of both the Son and the Holy Spirit, and is considered the eternal source of the Godhead. As a member of the Trinity, God the Father is one with, co-equal to, co-eternal, and
consubstantial with the Son and the Holy Spirit, each Person being the one eternal God and in no way separated: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. The Trinitarian concept of God the Father is not
pantheistic in that he is not viewed as identical to the universe or a vague notion that persists in it, but exists fully outside of creation, as its creator. He created all things visible and invisible in love and wisdom, and created man for his own sake. The emergence of Trinitarian theology of God the Father in
early Christianity was based on two key ideas: first the shared identity of the
Yahweh of the
Old Testament and the God of Jesus in the
New Testament, and then the self-distinction and yet the unity between Jesus and his Father. An example of the unity of Son and Father is
Matthew 11:27: "No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son", asserting the mutual knowledge of Father and Son. The concept of fatherhood of God does appear in the Old Testament, but is not a major theme. The paternal view of God as the Father extends beyond Jesus to his disciples, and the entire Church, as reflected in the petitions Jesus submitted to the Father for his followers at the end of the
Farewell Discourse, the night before
his crucifixion. Instances of this in the Farewell Discourse are
John 14:20 as Jesus addresses the disciples: "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" and in
John 17:22 as he prays to the Father: "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one."
Nontrinitarian ' depiction of God the Father and the Son
Jesus A number of Christian groups and communities reject the doctrine of a co-equal Trinity, and generally teach that God the Father is supreme, but nontrinitarian Christian groups differ somewhat from one another in their views regarding God the Father and Christ the Son. In
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Commonly known as Mormons or the LDS Church), the most prominent conception of "the Godhead" is as a divine council of three distinct beings: the Father (who is also referred to as
Elohim), the Son Jesus (who is identified with
Jehovah of the Old Testament), and the
Holy Spirit. The Father and Son are considered to have perfected, physical bodies, while the Holy Spirit has a body of spirit. LDS Church members believe God the Father presides over both the Son and Holy Spirit, where God the Father is greater than both, but they are one in the sense that they have a unity of purpose. Most denominations in the
Latter Day Saint movement also believe God (often referred to as Heavenly Father) has at least one spouse referred to as
Heavenly Mother, and together they are called
Heavenly Parents. The
Assemblies of Yahweh are
nontrinitarian, believing that the
Father is greater than the Son in all things, and that the Holy Spirit is not equal to the Father, and is not an actual person, but is God's "power" or "character" in action. They refer to God the Father as "
Yahweh". The Yahweh Assemblies and other
Sacred Name groups generally teach that Christ the Son was God's first and prime creation, and was used to create everything else. They believe that the Messiah, whom they call "
Yahshua" or "
Yeshua" or "
Yehoshua", died for man's sins, and is to be honored as the Anointed Lord, but that God the Father (Yahweh) is the True God that all "true worshippers" ultimately serve and worship. They teach that the Father is the only eternal one. In
Jehovah's Witness theology, only God the Father (
Jehovah) is the one true almighty God, even over his Son Jesus Christ. They teach that the Logos is God's Only-begotten Son, and that the Holy Spirit is God's active force (projected energy). They believe that the Father and the Son are united in divine purpose, administration,
legislation, and
man's salvation, but are not one being and are not equal in power. While the Witnesses acknowledge Jesus’ pre-existence, perfection, and unique "Sonship" from God the Father, and believe that the Logos had an essential role in creation and redemption, and is the Messiah, they believe that only the Father is without beginning. They say that the Son was the Father's only direct creation, before all ages. While both Persons are highly honored, taught, and preached, in their interpretations of
John 17:3 and
John 14:28, God the Father is emphasized in Jehovah's Witness meetings and services more than Christ the Son, as they teach that the Father is greater than the Son.
Oneness Pentecostalism teaches that God is a singular spirit who is one person, not three divine persons, individuals or minds. God the Father is the title of the supreme creator. The titles of the Son and Holy Spirit are merely titles reflecting the different personal manifestations of the One True God the Father in the universe. == Other religions ==